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Introduction What is Plant Phenomics and the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre (HRPPC)? –Why was the centre founded? –Technology –What research does the centre do? What is going on in modern plant science Plant Phenomics Teacher Resource –How can you use it in the classroom? Introduction to the Battle of the Plants Competition –Why use Brachypodium? –Timing the experiment –The growth pack and Brachypodium growth requirements –Taking digital photos –Analysis software The Battle of the Plants practical 2 |

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What is Plant Phenomics? Phenome = Genome X Environment

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What is Plant Phenomics? A plants genotype is all of its genes. A plants phenotype is how it looks and performs: –a plants phenotype is a combination of its genotype and the environment it grows in –plants with the same genotype can have different phenotypes. Phenotyping is analysing a plants phenotype. Phenomics is a way of speeding up phenotyping using high-tech imaging systems and computing power. 4 |

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High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre The Centres researchers develop new ways to discover the function of genes and to screen plant varieties for useful agricultural traits. Researchers can grow plants in growth cabinets or in the field. 7 |

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Spectral reflectance 16 | Spectral reflectance is the fraction of light reflected by a non-transparent surface. Researchers can use spectral reflectance to tell if a plant is stressed by saline soil or drought, well before it can be seen by eye. A hyperspectral camera measures all wavelengths of light that are either reflected or absorbed by a plant.

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Brachypodium – the cereal lab rat 19 | Phenomics researchers are using a small wild grass called Brachypodium distachyon as a wheat lab rat. Its entire genome is known It has many genes in common with wheat. Researchers are studying root formation in Brachypodium to speed up understanding of wheat roots.

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Why do we need more agricultural scientists 22 | By 2050, 9.1 billion people will populate the planet. We will need to produce 70 per cent more food to feed them, under tougher climate conditions. This is one of humanitys greatest challenges. How can we do it? Three of the possible ways to help: –Improve crop yields –Breed crops that can cope with climate change –Develop biofuel crops that dont compete with food crops.

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Battle of the plants - Timing Timing the experiment, choose any 8 week period during the official competition period according to your class schedule. The official competition period: 24 th June to 25 th October |